Performances

Tune of the Day: L'Agréable by Marin Marais

from “Five Old French Dances”

This piece was composed by the famous French viol player Marin Marais. The viol (also called viola da gamba, an Italian expression indicating that the instrument is meant to rest vertically on one's leg) is an old instrument that was primarily used during the Renaissance and Baroque periods. It is similar to a cello, but it has six strings and it is fretted like a guitar.

The French title “L'Agréable” translates literally as “The Pleasant One”.